"The Thaitanium Project is much more than just a rebolting program. This grassroots, multi-year endeavor has created an opportunity for members of the climbing community to give back to this magical place where friends come together from all over the globe. By participating in stewardship of the crags of the Phra Nang peninsula, I personally gain a great sense of satisfaction and contribution to a community effort to protect the people, the climbing, and the experience that have drawn me back to southern Thailand for 15 years and counting. Together we can preserve the opportunity for future generations to experience the magic of Tonsai for decades to come. A big Chok Dee Kop to the Thaitanium Project and to all who contribute!"

"The shocking corrosion of stainless hardware has been the "serpent in paradise" at seaside climbing areas such as those in Thailand and the Caribbean. Finally, amazingly, there is a solution - but it will require some major work to implement it worldwide."

Jeff Achey - Senior contributing editor at Climbing Magazine

"The Thaitanium Project is an absolute necessity for the Thailand climbing scene. I watched a good friend break a stainless steel anchor bolt under body weight while rappelling, and if the Ti backup bolt wasn't there he would have taken a 80 foot fall. I know I wouldn't even consider climbing in Thailand again if you weren't doing what your'e doing."

"Thailand is a world class climbing paradise that should be on any committed climber's life list of must visit places. However, Thailand's cliffs are incredibly corrosive, even to marine grade stainless steel. The Thaitanium Project is critical to keeping Thailand a fun, safe, climber destination. They even re-bolted a route I put up 15 years ago! It costs about $200 to re-equip a route. I happily donated that much when I met Josh and learned about his project. If you ever hope to climb in Thailand, throw them a few bucks and know that the cliffs will be in good shape, awaiting your arrival."

Brady Robinson - Executive Director at the Access Fund

"I've been climbing in thailand since 2000, and it's safe to say i wouldn't return if it weren't for the thaitanium project. the old bolts are untrustworthy, the routes that have not been retrofitted are basically no-fall climbs, and i'm not a free soloist. the project's bomber new bolts have breathed new life into the world's premiere winter climbing destination. everyone who climbs in ton sai and railay should consider donating to the project."

Nathan Welton - Professional Climbing Photographer

"To spread awareness of what's going on and to help fund buying the expensive bolts and glue so rebolting can continue, Josh Lyons produced a film on the 'Thaitanium Project'. It's great. They go through the whole thing from start to finish, talk to the metallurgists and scientists who did the testing, and lay out a plan for moving forward, which is basically switching out every stainless bolt with titanium. It's a must see for people that love Thailand climbing."

Lee Cujes - Owner of Up Skills Climbing

"The Thaitanium project has essentially saved climbing in Thailand. Thanks to the efforts of the project and the people who've volunteered, climbing in Thailand is safe again! I've personally spent several seasons there and i'm sure i wouldn't have even gone back for a 2nd time if the bolts were still the "old" steel bolts. But the new Ti ones are so amazing and instill so much confidence i often find myself wishing other areas also had Titanium bolts (everywhere actually)."

Steve Townshend - Sponsored Athlete Blue water

"The Thaitanium Project is the one rebolting program you can count on to do it right. Everyone who cares about climbing in Thailand should support this cause."

Sam Lightner Jr - Guide Book Author- 'Thailand, A Climbing Guide'

"If you care about the security of the protection bolts you clip into, you should support this project."

Lynn Hill

"Tonsai is the epicentre of attraction for climbers, travellers and anyone looking for fun times. I rarely go to the same place twice, yet I have been to Thailand 5 times, and always to Tonsai. I don't know a better place to meet likeminded people. I met my wife and mother of my child on the beach there. It's doesn't get better than that! So many good friends and memorable experiences. There is a lot more to Tonsai than just climbing."

Tim Emmett - Sponsored Athlete - Mountain Hardwear

Stainless Steel Anchor Ring Warning:

*During the Thaitanium Projects re-bolting of the Cat Wall on Tonsai Beach in early 2013, a stainless steel anchor ring was found to have Stress Corrosion Crack, the same type of corrosion found in the climbing bolts.*

Since the start of the Thaitanium Project a dialog regarding the use of stainless steel anchor rings has been debated. At the time there were no reported cases of stress corrosion cracking (the same type of corrosion found in the climbing bolts) in any of the anchor rings. The popular thought was that the steel rings were not seeing the same levels of corrosive elements as the bolts. There was an effort to reach out to metallurgist and another professionals about the use of these rings and there was very little they could answer for us with out years of research. By 2010 most, if not all of the climbs in Railay Bay already had anchors with the stainless steels rings. The decision was made to continue the use of the anchor ring set up and to keep an eye on it.

During the re-bolting of the Cat Wall in early 2013 the Thaitanium Project found server cracking in one of the routes anchor rings. Not knowing exactly what to think and not wanting to jump to any conclusions, a few photos of the cracked ring were sent to the Thaitanium Project's metallurgy team. It was unclear of the history of where the ring came from and if it was even stainless steel. Also because of the cracks close proximity to the weld, we were unsure if the cracking was from a defect in the welding. It was decided that the rings would be taken to the United States for analysis and tested at a metallograph facility. Serval tests were carried out to see if it was in fact stress corrosion cracking (SCC), what type of steel it was and if the cracking was caused by improper welding.

Unfortunately, the tests confirmed that the anchor ring was made out of stainless steel (SS), the corrosion had nothing to do with the welding and it was SCC. It was everything we didn't want to hear. In fact, in the final report the lab tech said that it was the most cracking in stainless steel she had ever seen! Because the ring was SS and it had nothing to do with the welding meant that the unique combination of elements that cause the devastating corrosion in the bolts is now corroding the anchor rings. Which in turn means that every single ring will need to be changed.

So where do we go from here? Well because of the hard work of the few dedicated folks at the Thaitanium Project we have the resources and the infrastructure to deal with this problem. We are working with Titan Climbing, a new titanium climbing gear manufacture and have already started the production of grade 2 Titanium anchor rings. During the 2014 season saw over a 100 Ti rings placed on over 50 pitches. We will use the same fund raising techniques to pay for the rings as we are doing with the bolts. So if you purchase the DVD, T-shirt or any other swag it will go to help fund the removal and replacement of all stainless steel anchor rings with Titanium.

There are a couple things you can do as well. If you are climbing in Railay Bay or any other area in Southern Thailand and are using anchor rings please take the time to visually inspect the rings for any discoloration (rust) or cracking. If you see anything that looks suspicious, back the rings up with a carabiner and report it to the closest climbing school or on the Thaitanium Project's website. Unfortunately with SCC you can't always see the cracking, this is because the cracking is on the inside of the steel where you will not be able to see any rust. So if you feel it necessary, again back the anchor rings up with a carabiner.

Now I would like to remind everyone that we have just found one ring with SCC. This doesn't mean these rings are going to start falling out of the sky. With that said, it would be wise to use caution when using any Stainless Steel Anchor rings.